|
|
Rustic Shows
Gatherings and
Art Shows
that are rustic friendly
Lake Home Shows
The Berkshires Arts Festival
Ski Butternut
Great Barrington, MA
July 4, 5, 6
Lakeside Living Expo
on
Lake Winnipesaukee
in New Hampshire
Books
Making Gypsy Willow Furniture by Bim Willow®
(paper back)
Books by
Dan Mack
So You Want to be a Rustic Furniture Maker?
Tips of the Trade by
Bim Willow®
a free E-book
Groups
Twig Furniture Group
Canadian Rustic Furniture Group
Workshops
Do you teach?
Willow Gypsies Cassilda Brown
My name is Cassilda Brown and I live in Mentone, Alabama. I spent quite a lot of time outdoors as a child and I guess you could say I was a “woodsy” kind of kid. I always built forts and things with sticks and really just enjoyed exploring the natural world around me.
My first experience with building rustic furniture was building hickory chairs for Phil and Ryan Faircloth of Appalachian Rustic Furniture. Phil taught me to build a willow chair and that was that. I have been building willow furniture on my own ever since. I have taught several people to build furniture over the years, including my children, but mainly work alone.
I work at home and travel to art shows and festivals. I enjoy working with willow because it is such a great wood. It is very easy to work with and creates such a durable, yet graceful, type of rustic furniture. Willow is also a renewable resource and I like that. Willow is one of the few trees that the more of it you cut, the more of it you get.
I chose the name, The Willow Gypsies, as a tribute to the original “Gypsy chair” builders. Traveling families would build furniture in exchange for meals and lodging as they moved through the southeast countryside looking for or maybe following work. We travel to different willow patches harvesting the willow needed and rotating from patch to patch. In this way, we have a steady supply of willow available all year. It is very satisfying to me to be able to gather the raw material and, with just a few hand tools and some elbow grease, produce a finished piece of furniture.
We build just about anything, from traditional chairs and tables, to ornate canopy beds and miscellaneous custom pieces tailored to your specific needs. While all pieces are similar, each piece is uniquely its own.
Contact Information:
The Willow Gypsies
Cassilda Brown
P.O. Box 64
Mentone, AL 35984
(423)304-6623 email: willowgypsy1@hotmail.com
www.rusticfurnituremakers.com/willowgypsies
